Americans United - Proposition 8https://www.au.org/tags/proposition-8
enProps On Prop. 8 Decision: In His Marriage Ruling, Judge Properly Divorced Church And Statehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/props-on-prop-8-decision-in-his-marriage-ruling-judge-properly-divorced
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker gave us an excellent tutorial on why the debate over marriage rights for same-sex couples is as much about church-state separation as it is about equality for all Americans.</p>
<p>In his decision striking down Proposition 8 -- California’s constitutional ban on gay marriage -- he explained that our laws, including those governing marriage, cannot be based solely on private moral or religious beliefs – they must also have a secular purpose.</p>
<p>Proposition 8, Judge Walker found, was based on a private moral viewpoint and had no legitimate governmental interest, let alone a compelling one.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/prop8/FF_CL_Final.pdf"><em>Perry v. Schwarzenegger</em></a>, Judge Walker made it clear that in the United States, marriage is a civil matter. Whether the state recognizes same-sex marriage in no way affects a religious group’s right to perform only the marriages it sees fit. At the same time, religious groups, no matter how large and well-funded, cannot use government to enforce their marriage doctrines, making some Americans second-class citizens in the process.</p>
<p>“Civil authorities may permit religious leaders to solemnize marriages but not to determine who may enter or leave a civil marriage,” Judge Walker wrote. “Religious leaders may determine independently whether to recognize a civil marriage or divorce but that recognition or lack thereof has no effect on the relationship under state law.”</p>
<p>His words were music to our ears here at Americans United. Proponents of Proposition 8 – the Roman Catholic bishops, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), various fundamentalist Protestant groups --- wanted civil marriage law to conform to the teaching of their particular faiths. That’s an outrageous demand in a country that prides itself on religious liberty and welcomes those of all belief systems.</p>
<p>Several news outlets quoted Barry W. Lynn, Americans United’s executive director, in hailing the <em>Perry</em> decision as a victory for religious liberty.</p>
<p>CNN, for example, included Lynn’s statement in a list of reactions to the federal court ruling.</p>
<p>“This is tremendous step forward for individual freedom and church-state separation,” Lynn <a href="http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/04/reactions-to-california-ruling-on-same-sex-marriages/">asserted.</a> “Aggressive and well-funded religious groups conspired to take away the civil marriage rights of same-sex couples in California. That was wrong, and I am delighted that the court has ruled the way it has.”</p>
<p>In a <em>USA Today</em> report, he was <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/08/prop-8-proposition-8-california-gay-marriage-vaugh-walker/1">quoted</a> as saying, “A growing number of American denominations and faith groups perform same-sex marriages. Why should the state refuse to recognize those ceremonies while approving of ceremonies by other clergy? A decent respect for church-state separation means the government should not play favorites when it comes to religion.”</p>
<p>Judge Walker’s decision was well-thought out and eloquently done. He dealt carefully with all the constitutional implications of denying same-sex couples the right to marry, including taking into consideration the negative impact that discriminatory religious beliefs have had on a minority group.</p>
<p>Though the decision is just the first step in what will likely be years of litigation, it’s nice to know the church-state parameters of this issue were handled so well in the first hurdle.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/civil-marriage">civil marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-marriage">Gay Marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/courts">In the Courts</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/marriage">marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/perry-v-schwarzenegger">Perry v. Schwarzenegger</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span></div></div>Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:18:08 +0000Sandhya Bathija2453 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/props-on-prop-8-decision-in-his-marriage-ruling-judge-properly-divorced#commentsAt The Movies: New Documentary Examines Mormon Church Influence On Prop. 8 Votehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/at-the-movies-new-documentary-examines-mormon-church-influence-on-prop-8
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">A wealthy, powerful (and mostly out-of-state) church poured unprecedented sums into an effort to write its theology into law and take away the rights of a group of people it does not like. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>An interesting documentary is opening in some major cities this weekend, and if you get the chance, I’d suggest that you check it out.</p>
<p>Titled “8: The Mormon Proposition,” <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/movies/18eight.html?ref=movies">the film</a> examines the role the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) played in helping pass Proposition 8 in California, which repealed marriage equality for same-sex couples.</p>
<p>Some statistics tell the story: Only about 2 percent of Californians are Mormons, but church members poured huge sums of money into the campaign – at least $22 million, including $3 million in the final week that came directly from Utah. Thanks to intervention by the church hierarchy, Mormons provided more than 70 percent of the budget of the pro-Prop 8 effort.</p>
<p>The money was used for an onslaught of ads and a well-coordinated ground campaign. As <em>The New York Times</em> put it, “The money financed a sophisticated media barrage that involved blogs, Twitter and YouTube videos, as well as scary (and, according to the movie, misleading) television ads, and an aggressive door-to-door campaign whose foot soldiers were instructed on how not to appear Mormon.”</p>
<p>The result was a narrow win for same-sex marriage opponents, 52 to 48 percent.</p>
<p>Of course, the Mormons were not the only group involved in the campaign. The Roman Catholic hierarchy and various fundamentalist groups jumped into the fray as well. But no other religious group could match the Mormons when it came to money, power and media relations efforts.</p>
<p>Religious groups have the right to speak out on social issues. But in this case, a wealthy, powerful (and mostly out-of-state) church poured unprecedented sums into an effort to write its theology into law and take away the rights of a group of people it does not like. To a lot of Americans, it just didn’t seem right.</p>
<p>Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn appears in the film, making the point that when a powerful church is spending huge sums to influence everyone’s lives, the American public has the right to know that. Religious groups, he says, should not expect to be exempt from reporting requirements that are imposed on other organizations that engage in political activity.</p>
<p>California has reporting requirements that the church was required to follow. But many other states don’t, and in some cases, churches have demanded the right to be exempt from even minimal reporting requirements under the First Amendment. In those cases, it can be very difficult to follow the money if an aggressive fundamentalist group is backing an Astroturf campaign to elevate its theology into law.</p>
<p>It’s also not unreasonable to expect churches to abide by the law. In the case of the Mormon Church, that was not always reality. The church failed to report some non-monetary contributions in a timely manner and was<a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/mormon-church-agrees-to-pay-campaign-finance-fine/"> recently fined</a> $5,539 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. (Sure, $5,550 is chicken feed to the Mormon hierarchy, but it sets an interesting precedent of accountability.)</p>
<p>California’s debate over same-sex marriage is far from over. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/16/AR2010061601351.html">A case</a> is progressing in the federal courts arguing that California’s vote to ban same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection.</p>
<p>A number of progressive religious groups have <a href="http://www.uulmca.org/documents/marriage_equality/Amicus_Brief_2010.pdf">filed a brief</a> in <em>Perry v. Schwarzenegger</em>, arguing that Proposition 8 enshrined right-wing theology into law and infringes on the religious liberty of those groups that support same-sex marriage. It’s an interesting argument that AU has made as well.</p>
<p>I’ve challenged Religious Right groups to provide even one secular reason for banning same-sex marriage. A few have tried, but what they offer isn’t remotely persuasive. Their rants about child-rearing and “traditional marriage” would be better put forward as arguments against divorce. And I’m not aware of any Religious Right organizations (or the Mormons, for that matter) campaigning to make divorce illegal.</p>
<p>You can see a trailer for “8: The Mormon Proposition” on the movie’s <a href="http://www.mormonproposition.com/">Web site</a>. (If you don’t have the software to play it, try <a href="http://www.alltrailers.net/8-the-mormon-proposition.html">this site</a>.) As I said, the documentary is playing in just a few major cities this weekend, but it will be available on DVD July 13.</p>
<p>Pull up some popcorn and take a look. You will be disturbed – but also enlightened.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/8-mormon-proposition">8: The Mormon Proposition</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/elections">Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormons">Mormons</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span></div></div>Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:39:12 +0000Rob Boston2093 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/at-the-movies-new-documentary-examines-mormon-church-influence-on-prop-8#commentsArrested Kiss: Utah's Church-State Embrace Lands Gay Couple In Cuffshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/arrested-kiss-utahs-church-state-embrace-lands-gay-couple-in-cuffs
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>[caption id="attachment_1938" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Main Street Plaza, Salt Lake City, UT - Photo by Flickr user Ecnerwal"]<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecnerwal/2158578757/"></a>[/caption]</p>
<p>Next time you're in Salt Lake City, you had better refrain from kissing your loved one in public. It could get you arrested.</p>
<p>Especially if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which runs the show in town, doesn't like you or what you stand for.</p>
<p>A gay couple <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12811907">learned this the hard way</a> on July 9, when they were handcuffed and arrested for trespassing after church security guards saw them hold hands and kiss on the cheek while on Main Street Plaza.</p>
<p>This altercation, which resulted in one of the men being thrown to the ground by the city police during the arrest, led demonstrators to gather Sunday for a <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12872004">"kiss in"</a> on the plaza in front of Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City. Gay and straight couples marched while holding hands and engaging in a bit of smooching. This was the second kiss-in since the incident happened in early July.</p>
<p>The plaza on which the gay couple was seen kissing is owned by the church but has remained open to the public.</p>
<p>Many others have kissed and hugged while on the property without repercussion. One resident who attended the first kiss-in on July 12 said she had kissed her husband on the plaza many times.</p>
<p>"Nobody has said a thing to us," Isabelle Warnas told <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12821710"><em>The Salt Lake Tribune</em></a>. "My husband and I can't understand the discrimination. This is not right."</p>
<p>The incident also proves how easily a one-time public space can suddenly become a theocratic kiss-free zone.</p>
<p>Ten years ago, the plaza was public land where everyone could exercise their constitutional rights. But in 1999, with the approval of then-Mayor Deedee Corradini and the City Council, the church bought a strip of the plaza for $8.1 million.</p>
<p>The rules of the sale created four easements so the public could continue to use the land, including the plaza between the South and North Temple buildings. But church officials saddled these easements with behavior restrictions, such as forbidding swearing and other free speech activities.</p>
<p>The ACLU sued the city over the transaction's rules, <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12864692">arguing</a> that the church could not govern expression on the plaza when the government retained a public easement. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the ACLU, and in 2002, ruled that First Amendment activities could not be prohibited so long as the city retained the public easement.</p>
<p>But in 2003, the mayor sold the public easement to build a west-side community center. The transaction allowed the church to ban protesting, smoking, sunbathing and other "offensive, indecent, obscene, lewd or disorderly speech, dress or conduct."</p>
<p>Again, the ACLU sued, arguing the city couldn't trade away the public's rights. But the 10th Circuit upheld the easement's sale, <a href="http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-8476-kiss-off-a-gay-couple-allegedly-is-cited-for-holding-hands-on-main-street-plaza.html">creating</a> a "private plaza that only looks like a public space."</p>
<p>That brings us to today -- when the Mormon church can have a gay couple arrested for trespassing. (The church is already known for its active role in passing California's Proposition 8, which banned the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state.)</p>
<p>"What we're seeing now is a manifestation of what should have been obvious from the very beginning," former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson told <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12864692"><em>The Salt Lake Tribune</em></a>. "This block of Main Street never should have been conveyed to the LDS Church. It was a recipe for ongoing resentments between the LDS Church and those who are not members."</p>
<p>That ongoing resentment was front and center at yesterday's protest, where counter-protestors from the anti-gay group America Forever engaged in a hateful shouting match with the kiss-in demonstrators.</p>
<p>All this goes to show what can happen when religion plays a dominating role in the public square. In this case, we mean that literally.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kiss">Kiss In</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/main-street-plaza">Main Street Plaza</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormon">Mormon</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/salt-lake-city">Salt Lake City</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/utah">Utah</a></span></div></div>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:36:09 +0000Sandhya Bathija2371 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/arrested-kiss-utahs-church-state-embrace-lands-gay-couple-in-cuffs#commentsMormon Might: LDS Church Leaders Have Inappropriate Government Role In Utahhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mormon-might-lds-church-leaders-have-inappropriate-government-role-in-utah
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Is the state of Utah a theocracy?</p>
<p>You certainly might think so after reading an article in today's <em>Salt Lake Tribune</em>.</p>
<p>More than 80 percent of legislators are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and for the past 15 years, legislative leaders have met annually with Mormon church officials to discuss the coming year's agenda.</p>
<p>This year's closed-door get-together between Republican legislators and Mormon brass happened last week at North Temple, according to the <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11522479"><em>Salt Lake Tribune</em></a>. Two weeks ago, the Democrats had their turn.</p>
<p>One hot topic of discussion was whether to do away with Utah's private club law, which requires every patron at a bar to pay a fee and register annually as a member of the club, or to be a guest of a member, in order to be served.</p>
<p>The<em> Salt Lake Tribune</em> reported the initial meeting as a straight news story, with the headline, "LDS Church indicates it is open to liquor law change." The newspaper reported that "church leaders told legislative leaders they like the idea of electronic verification," meaning they would support scanning patrons' driver licenses instead of requiring patrons to register as members of a club.</p>
<p>Anywhere else in the country, the stance of a church, synagogue or mosque would likely receive a "who cares?" or "why does it even matter?," and no news editor would be interested. But in Utah, it makes breaking news headlines.</p>
<p>That's because in Utah, as <em><a href="http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_11558763 ">Tribune</a> </em>columnist Rebecca Walsh wrote, "Any smart reporter first asks, 'Have you checked with THE CHURCH?'"</p>
<p>It's probably not a thought that goes through many reporters' minds in any other part of the country. And it shouldn't be that way in Utah, either.</p>
<p>But the Mormon church is increasingly becoming known for its political power plays, especially on the issue of gay rights, another topic of discussion at last week's meeting. The <em>Tribune</em> indicated that church leaders advised lawmakers to consider the hierarchy's "previous statements" regarding legal rights for same-sex couples.</p>
<p>LDS intervention is heavily credited for California's passage of Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that removed the right of same-sex couples to obtain civil marriages. Church members, at the hierarchy's behest, reportedly donated a majority of funds raised by the Yes on 8 campaign -- <a href="http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid67125.asp">nearly $20 million</a> -- and church members volunteered thousands of hours to support the constitutional amendment.</p>
<p>If the LDS church is powerful enough to get its agenda accomplished in California (where only 2 percent of the population is Mormon), it's not surprising that it can throw its political weight around in Utah. But that doesn't make the cozy church-legislature relationship right.</p>
<p>"It is a clear violation of American democratic principles," Americans United's Director of Communications Joe Conn told the <em>Tribune. </em>"The implication is that one church will have more influence than any other group in the state."</p>
<p>And it probably comes as no surprise that all the church leaders influencing law and politics are men. Last week's meeting with legislators was attended by church lobbyist Bill Evans; several members of the public affairs department; and Elder Quentin L. Cook, a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; members for the First Quorum of the Seventy; and Bishop H. David Burton, the presiding bishop for the church.</p>
<p>Church spokesman Scott Trotter told the <em>Tribune</em> that Mormon leaders were just meeting with legislators to remind them of the church's political neutrality. If that were so, why is it that church opposition to proposed legislation leads the measure to go "directly to the round file," as the newspaper put it?</p>
<p>Yes, it may be true that majority of the population of the Beehive State are Mormons. But that doesn't mean that Mormon doctrines should be the law for everyone. Utah is part of the United States, a secular democratic nation that keeps church and state separate.</p>
<p>All groups, including religious organizations, are free to have their representatives meet with legislators to push for their perspective. Church lobbyist Evans should feel free to attend hearings on legislation such as Utah's private club law and provide his testimony on behalf of the church. But his views should count for no more than those of others who offer their opinions.</p>
<p>A government system in which legislative leaders rely solely on the church's approval is quite a different story.</p>
<p>As Walsh put it, that is a story that does belong in the newspaper -- as an unconstitutional outrage.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-rights">Gay Rights</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormons">Mormons</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/utah">Utah</a></span></div></div>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:12:42 +0000Sandhya Bathija2325 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mormon-might-lds-church-leaders-have-inappropriate-government-role-in-utah#commentsUncivil Union: Catholic Prelate Says He Wooed Mormons For California Marriage Battle https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/uncivil-union-catholic-prelate-says-he-wooed-mormons-for-california
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mormons, Catholics and fundamentalists more or less regard each other as heretics but they put those differences aside temporarily to form a theocratic alliance.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The more you learn about California's Proposition 8, the more it raises church-state concerns.</p>
<p>When well-funded sectarian allies manipulate the democratic process to take away the civil rights of a small minority of Americans, fundamental constitutional safeguards are gravely jeopardized. Conservative religious forces wanted to write their theological viewpoint about marriage into civil law, and they didn't mind trampling on the rights of same-sex couples in the process.</p>
<p>In his <a href="http://www.sfarchdiocese.org/about-us/news/?i=1505">column this week</a> in Catholic San Francisco, Archbishop George H. Niederauer says his archdiocese didn't donate any funds to the campaign in favor of Prop. 8, but did pay for, and appropriately disclose, printing and distribution of flyers to parishes. He also casually reports that it was he – a Roman Catholic prelate – who recruited the mega-bucks Mormon Church into the battle over Prop. 8.</p>
<p>"Last May," recalls Niederauer, "the staff of the [state Catholic] Conference office informed me that leaders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) had given their support to the campaign for Proposition 22 in the year 2000, and were already considering an involvement in connection with Proposition 8. Accordingly, I was asked to contact leaders of the LDS Church whom I had come to know during my eleven years as Bishop of Salt Lake City, to ask them to cooperate again, in this election cycle. I did write to them and they urged the members of their Church, especially those in California, to become involved."</p>
<p>As numerous <a href="http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid67125.asp">news media accounts</a> testify, wealthy Mormon Church members around the country subsequently poured millions of dollars and work-hours into the pro-Prop. 8 campaign. They did much of the heavy lifting while the Catholic hierarchy and evangelical and fundamentalist Protestant churches helped man the battle stations.</p>
<p>Mormons, Catholics and fundamentalists more or less regard each other as heretics – and ironically have significantly different theologies about marriage – but they put those differences aside temporarily to form a theocratic alliance.</p>
<p>Archbishop Niederauer brushes aside any church-state concerns with all of this.</p>
<p>"Some would say that, in light of the separation of church and state, churches should remain silent about any political matter," he asserts. "However, religious leaders in America have the constitutional right to speak out on issues of public policy."</p>
<p>But that comment just scratches the surface of this issue.</p>
<p>Of course, churches have a right to speak out on religious, moral and political issues. But Niederauer and his cronies did much more than that: they orchestrated a massive national political campaign to write their church teachings into civil law at the expense of a vulnerable minority.</p>
<p>The pro-Prop. 8 advertising campaign was divisive and <a href="http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=16976">often deceptive</a>. Voters certainly were never told that church hierarchs were plotting behind the scenes to impose church dogma on the state through constitutional fiat.</p>
<p>Many Americans, both gay and straight, are outraged at this sequence of events, and the more they learn, the madder they get. Some of them are even protesting outside Mormon, Catholic and evangelical congregations that spearheaded the Prop. 8 drive.</p>
<p>That upsets Niederauer. In his column, he deplores the heated dialogue and grouses, "We need to be able to disagree without being disagreeable."</p>
<p>Easy for him to say: Nobody manipulated the political process to remove his civil rights. Frankly, when churches plunge into politics, they have to expect the give and take that goes on in the public square. If you can't stand the heat, as Harry Truman put it, get out of the kitchen.</p>
<p>Proposition 8 is now before the California Supreme Court. Here's hoping the justices examine the issues carefully – and keep church-state separation in mind.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/archbishop-george-niederauer">Archbishop George Niederauer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span></div></div>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:54:06 +0000Joseph L. Conn1548 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/uncivil-union-catholic-prelate-says-he-wooed-mormons-for-california#commentsFocus On Unemployment: Cash-Strapped Dobson Empire Cuts Staff After Lavishly Funding Anti-Gay Campaign In Californiahttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/focus-on-unemployment-cash-strapped-dobson-empire-cuts-staff-after-lavishly
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Next week, Americans will kick off the holiday season, but sadly, several employees at James Dobson's Focus on the Family (FOF) probably have lost that festive spirit.</p>
<p>On Dobson's radio broadcast yesterday, he shared that Colorado-based FOF is "experiencing the same financial shortfall and some of the pressures that have resulted from the economic downturn in this country." With that said, he announced that 149 filled staff positions and 53 open staff positions are to be cut, 20 percent of the total staff.</p>
<p>"It's not something that anyone is relishing; it's been a very difficult week," Dobson said. "I ask our listeners to be in prayer for us. And be in prayer for those who will no longer be employed here. I have been a little teary-eyed about it for the last week."</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/15287/after-pumping-money-into-prop-8-focus-on-the-family-announcing-layoffs">report</a> from <em>The Colorado Independent</em>, even more layoffs are to be announced next week.</p>
<p>It is a difficult time for many Americans who are without jobs this holiday season, and we sympathize with these employees and their families.</p>
<p>Our only question is, if FOF was on such a tight budget, wouldn't it have behooved Dr. Dobson to remember his employees first -- whom he claims to be shedding tears for-- before pumping $539,000 in cash and $83,000 in non-monetary support into passing California's anti-gay marriage amendment, Proposition 8?</p>
<p>According to <em>The Independent</em>, the half-million-plus FOF spent on passing Proposition 8 is equal to the salaries of 19 Coloradans earning the 2008 per capita income of $29, 133.</p>
<p>Proposition 8 passed 52 to 48 percent Nov. 4, but civil rights groups have now taken the issue into the California courts. The California Supreme Court ruled in May that the state constitution grants same-sex couples the same access to civil marriage as opposite-sex couples. Now the state's high court will have to decide whether this right can be taken away by this referendum process.</p>
<p>Many are questioning FOF's priorities.</p>
<p>"If I were their membership I would be appalled," longtime Colorado Springs activist Mark Lewis told the Colorado Independent. "That [Focus on the Family] would spend any money on anything that's obviously going to get blocked in the courts is just sad. [Prop. 8] is guaranteed to lose, in the long run it doesn't have a chance -- it's just a waste of money."</p>
<p>But FOF views supporting Proposition 8 as a top priority. In September, after FOF announced layoffs for another 46 people (this is the third straight year the organization has made layoffs), FOF Chief Operating Officer Glenn Williams <a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/15287/after-pumping-money-into-prop-8-focus-on-the-family-announcing-layoffs">said</a>, "It is certainly heartbreaking that in this case fulfilling that duty means having to say goodbye to some members of our Focus family, but industry realities leave us no alternative. We are accountable to our donors to spend their money in the most cost-effective and productive manner possible."</p>
<p>These are the sad priorities of this organization. And it's even sadder that FOF is still <a href="http://www.gazette.com/articles/christmas_43437___article.html/focus_retailers.html">campaigning away </a>against retailers who refuse to refer to Christmas in their advertising even while knowing that so many of its own will be struggling with unemployment during the holidays.</p>
<p>The group's <a href="http://www.gazette.com/articles/christmas_43437___article.html/focus_retailers.html">"I Stand for Christmas"</a> campaign created a list of retailers who are "naughty" and "nice" this holiday season. Those on the "nice" list use "Merry Christmas" instead of supposedly secularized (and naughty) "Happy Holidays." FOF has encouraged its members to write to the "naughty" retailers informing them that they will not shop at their stores this holiday season.</p>
<p>At this point, it's probably fair to say the "I Stand for Christmas" campaign is irrelevant to some of FOF's own employees-- considering they probably won't be doing much shopping without a paycheck.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/i-stand-christmas-campaign">I Stand for Christmas Campaign</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-dobson">James Dobson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/layoffs">layoffs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span></div></div>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:52:09 +0000Sandhya Bathija2310 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/focus-on-unemployment-cash-strapped-dobson-empire-cuts-staff-after-lavishly#commentsBallot Bias: California's Proposition 8 Writes Discrimination Into Lawhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ballot-bias-californias-proposition-8-writes-discrimination-into-law
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Here&#039;s a newsflash: same-sex marriage is not a war on religion; it is merely an issue of civil rights.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Last Wednesday morning, I woke up to the disappointment that California's Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, was most likely going to succeed.</p>
<p>Many of my Californian friends were shocked that the usually progressive state they live in actually passed a measure that overturned the California Supreme Court's decision ensuring that gays and lesbians have the constitutional right to marry.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I knew this outcome wasn't that far-fetched. Religious Right organizations, the Catholic hierarchy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) had been working hard, using fear to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the state -- and their deplorable tactics unfortunately paid off.</p>
<p>In June, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/17/local/me-marriage17">released a statement</a> asserting that marriage "has a unique place in God's creation, joining a man and a woman in a committed relationship in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended...The meaning of marriage is deeply rooted in history and culture, and has been shaped considerably by Christian tradition. Its meaning is given, not constructed."</p>
<p>Also in June, the Mormon Church <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10022">put out a letter stating</a>, "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the formation of families is central to the Creator's plan for His children." The letter called on all Mormons to "do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating your means and time."</p>
<p>Mormon volunteers heeded these words and <a href="http://www.mormonsstoleourrights.com/">raised up to 70 percent </a>of the "Yes on 8" financing. And for the past six months, pro-amendment volunteers misled Californians to believe that the California Supreme Court's decision extending marriage to gays and lesbians would mean sex education for kindergarteners in public schools and require churches to perform gay marriages or lose their tax exemption. Neither was true.</p>
<p>Religious Right activists continued with these lies, arguing that redefining marriage could severely limit religious freedom.</p>
<p>"This is ground zero in a culture war that the California Supreme Court just declared on Christianity and every single faith," <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10022">said Maggie Gallagher</a>, president of the National Organization for Marriage and co-author of <em>The Case for Marriage</em>. "I'm here to tell you the consequences to the liberty of the church and other faith traditions are very real and serious."</p>
<p>Here's a newsflash for Gallagher and these other faith leaders who advocated for this amendment: same-sex marriage is not a war on religion; it is merely an issue of civil rights.</p>
<p>Sure, federal tax law allows churches to speak on issues of the day, including ballot initiatives such as Proposition 8, but that doesn't make this kind of heavy-handed misleading campaign right. And religious groups are also wrong to misuse their resources to push religious doctrine into what should be secular law.</p>
<p>Sadly, these faith groups think they have "won" because a majority of Californians fell for their tactics and voted "yes" for the amendment.</p>
<p>But this should never have even been up for a vote. Religious Right groups think it is okay to place measures on the ballot that strip away the constitutional rights of others. They argue this is just our democracy at work. But Proposition 8 passed because of a particular religious belief, and that is more akin to theocracy than democracy -- even if it is theocracy by majority vote.</p>
<p>In 1954, if it were left up to Southern states to vote on ballot initiatives ending school segregation, we know how that vote would have turned out. But the Supreme Court said in <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em> that "separate but equal" is not equal. Americans in segregated states didn't later vote on whether they agreed. With a little shove from the federal government, states followed the decision of those whose job it was to interpret the Constitution.</p>
<p>Let's hope the current round of court challenges to this California amendment succeed and restore the civil right to marry to gays and lesbians across the state.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/california">California</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/catholic">Catholic</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/election-08">Election &#039;08</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mormon">Mormon</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-right-0">Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span></div></div>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:27:20 +0000Sandhya Bathija2306 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ballot-bias-californias-proposition-8-writes-discrimination-into-law#commentsCalifornia Dreamin': Dobson, Religious Right Allies Answer Theocratic Call In Golden Statehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/california-dreamin-dobson-religious-right-allies-answer-theocratic-call-in
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Look out, California, the Religious Right is bringing out the big guns!</p>
<p>That is, James Dobson of the Focus on the Family broadcasting empire has accepted an invitation to attend a prayer rally in San Diego this Saturday as the Religious Right's last attempt to pass Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that would deprive gays and lesbians of the right to marry in California.</p>
<p>The day-long rally – it's really more about politics than prayer -- will bring together supporters of Proposition 8 and Pastor Lou Engle, leader of TheCall movement. Promotional materials say the event will feature, "Corporate prayer and fasting for the protection of traditional marriage and the soul of our nation -- through the upcoming elections and beyond."</p>
<p>Engle's <a href="http://www.thecall.com/">rallies </a>attract young evangelicals to pray and fast in the hopes of stopping the "dark forces," such as legal abortion and same-sex marriage.</p>
<p>Nov. 1 will mark the conclusion of a 40-day fast to pass the amendment. Leader of the "Yes on 8" Campaign, Pastor Jim Garlow of San Diego's Skyline Wesleyan Church, personally invited Colorado resident Dobson to attend the event. Dobson read the invitation aloud on his <a href="http://fotf.cdnetworks.net/fotf/mp3/fof_daily_broadcast/ffd_2008/4_oct_nov_dec/ffd_20081030.mp3">radio show</a> this morning because he was so "deeply moved."</p>
<p>Garlow explained in his letter that the fight to pass Proposition 8 and rid California of same-sex marriage is an "epic battle for the sanctity of marriage." He said that if Proposition 8 doesn't pass, "marriage will never be the same."</p>
<p>Dobson said after reading Garlow's letter, he felt "as if the Lord put his hand on [his] back and said 'Go.'"</p>
<p>Dobson will appear at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego next to Engle and Garlow.</p>
<p>Engle's last fast and prayer rally was on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to pray for Roe v. Wade to be overturned.</p>
<p>Since 2000, <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10062 ">Engle has brought together</a> evangelical Christian youth in cities including Las Vegas, Nashville, Cincinnati, Dallas and Los Angeles. Events have also been held across the world in Australia, Germany, the Philippines, Norway, England, Israel and Brazil. Attendance has reached up to 400,000 at these rallies.</p>
<p>The young generation who are part of <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10062">Engle's movement</a> see themselves as soldiers in a "war" to rid America of its "immorality." The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has linked Engle to a larger, more militant movement called Joel's Army. Members of this movement believe America -- and the rest of the world -- should be ruled by conservative Christians and their interpretation of biblical law.</p>
<p>On a conference call months ago to<a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10022"> strategize</a> with nearly 3,000 other pastors across the country on how to pass Proposition 8, Engle said, "This is a spiritual battle; it must be won in prayer. We need to take away the rights of the powers of darkness to bring this kind of resolution forward...."</p>
<p>This melodramatic religious rhetoric has been the backbone of the "Yes on 8" campaign. A few weeks ago, on another <a href="http://blog.au.org/2008/10/03/my-call-from-gods-army-cwa-draftees-aim-to-pass-californias-proposition-8/">conference call</a>, Garlow told a story that made gay marriage out to be worse than terrorism.</p>
<p>Even today, as Garlow appeared as a guest on Dobson's radio show, he continued his outrageous statements about what same-sex marriage means for society.</p>
<p>"I felt like I was watching the destruction of Western civilization," Garlow said of the past year in California.</p>
<p>He continued, "This is not electoral politics to us, this is just biblical...it's the reason the church exists."</p>
<p>These Religious Right leaders clearly are in panic mode. If public opinion polls are accurate, there's a pretty good chance that Proposition 8 may fail, and with it, go their dreams of imposing their doctrinal viewpoint about marriage on everyone in the state.</p>
<p>If Californians believe in church-state separation, they ought to vote against Proposition 8 and tell Dobson, Engle and Company to back off.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/california">California</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/election-08">Election &#039;08</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-marriage">Gay Marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-dobson">James Dobson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jim-garlow">Jim Garlow</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lou-engle">lou engle</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/thecall">TheCall</a></span></div></div>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:40:11 +0000Sandhya Bathija2303 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/california-dreamin-dobson-religious-right-allies-answer-theocratic-call-in#commentsChurch, State And Marriage: California Debate On Proposition 8 Goes Constitutionalhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/church-state-and-marriage-california-debate-on-proposition-8-goes
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">&quot;I do not understand how we have come to the unholy union of church and state that we call marriage today.&quot;
–The Rev. Rick Mixon</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In all the emotional public debate over same-sex marriage, the overarching issue of church-state separation often gets lost. I'm glad to see that situation beginning to change.</p>
<p>Last week, Mike Swift of the San Jose <em>Mercury News</em> called to talk to about Proposition 8, the California constitutional amendment that takes away gay couples' right to get married in the Golden State.</p>
<p>I told Swift that federal tax law forbids religious groups (and other tax-exempt entities) to endorse candidates but it generally doesn't forbid them to speak out on referenda. I added, however, that it's still deeply troubling to see three extraordinarily powerful faith traditions – the Religious Right, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) and the Roman Catholic hierarchy -- throwing their weight around so blatantly on a sensitive civil rights and civil liberties issue.</p>
<p>"At its heart," I <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10810746">told the newspaper</a>, "the marriage issue is a church-state issue. In effect, you have several of the large faith groups trying to impose their viewpoint on marriage on the whole state. That's really what's going on with this referendum."</p>
<p>For example, according to the <em>Mercury News</em>, a Yes on 8 campaign spokesman said Mormon donors make up "30 to 40 percent" of the $28 million raised this year to place the measure on the ballot. Since Oct. 1, the newspaper said, the committee has received nearly as much out-of-state money from predominantly Mormon Utah as from the other 48 states combined.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops are working assiduously for Proposition 8, while the Knights of Columbus has kicked in $1.2 million to help out.</p>
<p>Focus on the Family's James Dobson and other Religious Right leaders have launched a major crusade on behalf of the initiative as part of their bid to see that all laws and government policies reflect their fundamentalist Christian view of marriage.</p>
<p>Larry Pegram, president of the Values Advocacy Council, sort of summed it all up when he told the <em>Mercury News</em>, "There is a myth called the separation of church and state. What the First Amendment says is government can't create a state church. The First Amendment was written to protect churches. It wasn't to keep churches out of the public arena."</p>
<p>That viewpoint is thoroughly garbled, of course. The First Amendment does, indeed, protect the rights of churches to teach their doctrines, and they're free to speak out in the public arena. But it doesn't mean churches should try to impose their doctrines on non-members through government action. The Constitution provides for a separation of religion and government so that other people can follow their own faiths (or follow no spiritual path at all).</p>
<p>Evangelical, Mormon and Catholic churches are free to restrict the marriages they perform to man-woman couples. But Unitarian, United Church of Christ and Reform Jewish congregations take a different view and extend their blessings to same-sex couples as well. What about their religious freedom?</p>
<p>The California Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples have a civil right to equal treatment when it comes to marriage. Now three powerful religious traditions want to take that right away and substitute their own doctrinal teachings as state policy.</p>
<p>I'm glad to see that some clergy are realizing how wrong this is.</p>
<p>The Rev. Rick Mixon, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto, told the <em>Mercury News</em> that he is baffled that his fellow evangelicals have "come down on the wrong side of this issue." He argues for a clean line of distinction between church actions and state marriage laws.</p>
<p>"I do not understand how we have come to the unholy union of church and state that we call marriage today," he said. "Clergy, especially Baptist clergy, have no business acting as agents of the state, whether in making wedding proclamations on the state's behalf or in signing wedding licenses."</p>
<p>Other evangelicals are reaching the same conclusion.</p>
<p>The Rev. Alger Keough, executive pastor of Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Terrace, told the <a href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_samesex27.3d39651.html">Riverside <em>Press-Enterprise</em> </a>that he would never marry a same-sex couple because he believes the Bible permits marriage only between a man and woman.</p>
<p>But the newspaper said Keough is one of dozens of Adventists in the Inland area who have signed a <a href="http://adventistsagainstprop8.org/">petition opposing Proposition 8</a>. (The petition drive began after an Adventist church-state council endorsed the initiative.)</p>
<p>Keough told the newspaper that the ballot measure violates the separation of church and state, which Adventists -- who have sometimes faced discrimination because their Sabbath is on Saturday -- have long promoted. He said even though he believes same-sex marriage is wrong, he shouldn't be able to impose his beliefs on others.</p>
<p>What a concept! Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and many of America's other founders would give Pastor Keough a rousing amen.</p>
<p>Here's the bottom line: When it comes to religion and government, let no church group join together, what the Constitution hath put asunder.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/seventh-day-adventists">seventh-day adventists</a></span></div></div>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:20:37 +0000Joseph L. Conn1542 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/church-state-and-marriage-california-debate-on-proposition-8-goes#commentsMy Call From God's Army: CWA 'Draftees' Aim To Pass California's Proposition 8https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/my-call-from-gods-army-cwa-draftees-aim-to-pass-californias-proposition-8
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Religious Right groups have turned this public policy issue into a war between what they see as &quot;good&quot; and &quot;evil.&quot; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday, I sat in on a conference call sponsored by Concerned Women for America (CWA), and the leaders of California's ProtectMarriage campaign. Not surprisingly, I heard some interesting commentary, to say the least.</p>
<p>The call was led by Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa who is the leader and initiator of <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10022">Proposition 8</a>. If that ballot initiative passes, an amendment will be added to California's constitution banning gay marriage and stripping gays and lesbians of the right to marry, which was granted by the California Supreme Court earlier this year.</p>
<p>"None of us really want to be doing this" Garlow said. "I could have been sitting on the beach. But I didn't volunteer, God drafted me. I don't have a choice. And God drafted you too, or you wouldn't be in the CWA."</p>
<p>Pastor Garlow said he would refer to the CWA women campaigning for Proposition 8 not as mere volunteers but as "draftees."</p>
<p>This militaristic-type rhetoric continued throughout the call. Garlow continued with a story emphasizing why CWA women needed to fight for Proposition 8.</p>
<p>"When I find myself up past the midnight hour," he said, "asking 'why am I doing this?' I think of the conversation that took place in Cairo, Egypt, between an Egyptian Christian pastor who has been severely persecuted by Islam and a man named Lou Engle" (<a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10062">Engle</a> is the theocracy-minded founder of <a href="http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=10062">The Call</a>, a fundamentalist youth movement, who is leading a 40-day fast to pass Proposition 8.)</p>
<p>"When Lou was in Cairo, Egypt," Garlow continued, "this pastor said to him, as a pastor that suffers at the hands of radical Islam, he said, 'The eyes of the world are on California. We're watching California and the vote on marriage. Because if you fail there to stop it, if you fail to stop it, what will be unleashed across the world will be a spirit worse than radical Islam.'"</p>
<p>Wow. So same-sex marriage is worse than terrorism? What kind of radical worldview is that?</p>
<p>According to the strategy described on the conference call, the ProtectMarriage campaign plans to enlist conservative churches to help spread their message. They will acquire from pastors across the state a contact list for members of their congregations. The campaign will call these members and use its propaganda to drum up support for Proposition 8.</p>
<p>It's support they desperately need, if public opinion polls are any indication. <a href="http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&amp;article=3360">The Public Policy Institute of California </a>released its latest survey that showed 55 percent of the state's likely voters would vote against Prop 8, while 41 percent would vote for it. The margin of error is three percentage points.</p>
<p>But the ProtectMarriage campaign is still hopeful.</p>
<p>"God's hand is on this project, CWA founder Beverly LaHaye said on this conference call. "God intended marriage to be between a man and a woman."</p>
<p>Religious Right groups have turned this public policy issue into a war between what they see as "good" and "evil." We at Americans United detected all along that advocates for Proposition 8 and other marriage amendments on Arizona and Florida's November ballots just want to overturn church-state separation and impose their religious viewpoints on the rest of the country.</p>
<p>Based on this call, it couldn't be more clear.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/california">California</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/concerned-women-america">Concerned Women for America</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-marriage">Gay Marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jim-garlow">Jim Garlow</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proposition-8">Proposition 8</a></span></div></div>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:18:24 +0000Sandhya Bathija2295 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/my-call-from-gods-army-cwa-draftees-aim-to-pass-californias-proposition-8#comments